Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Eagles Draft Overview

Posted April 27th, 2026 | Comments Off on Eagles Draft Overview

Now that we are away from the draft I thought it would be good to take a look back and talk about some big picture angles, as well as some trivial stuff. During the draft you tend to live in the moment. It is easier to reflect after some time passes.

Howie Roseman’s most basic goal going into the draft was to improve the team based on the available resources. I think he certainly did that, especially with the addition of Jonathan Greenard. The draft picks will have varying degrees of impact. Greenard will start and be an immediate impact player. We saw the difference Jaelan Phillips made after the team traded for him last year. I expect the same impact from Greenard.

Howie had some key things he needed to do.

  • The Eagles needed to get younger and cheaper on offense. You can’t pay everyone big bucks.
  • Howie had to find a pass rusher.
  • The team needed a safety or two.
  • OL depth had to be addressed.

Howie managed to check all those boxes.

Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers give the offense a pair of weapons that are cost-controlled for the next four years. That’s important with all the big money going to the other stars on that side of the ball.

I already covered Greenard. There were some prospects I really liked, but Greenard is more of a sure thing. That’s important for a team that wants to get back to the Super Bowl. I was impressed when Greenard talked about seeing the Lombardi Trophies. He then said Minnesota didn’t have any hardware like that. He wants to win. Keyshawn James-Newby is someone to try and develop for the future.

You might not like him waiting until late to take a guard or safety, but you can find good depth pieces later on in the draft. I had Micah Morris rated as a mid-round guy. Dane Brugler and Fran Duffy had him rated as a late round prospect. The Eagles spent a lot of time talking to him so this is clearly someone they had targeted and think will fit in well. They have a vision for him. Halapoulaati Vitai was a fifth round pick and ended up starting 6 games for that team. Morris could be good depth as a rookie. We’ll see how he plays this summer.

I think there is too much worrying at the safety position. I know I’m in the minority on that. And I could be dead wrong. Marcus Epps started all 17 games in 2022. That defense was second in the league in yards allowed. That team went to the Super Bowl and might have won if the field wasn’t garbage. Epps started 4 games last year for a Top 5 scoring defense. He isn’t a playmaker or star, but can get the job done. Cole Wisniewski can come in and challenge for a starting role. He might just be good depth. I think the Eagles added a pair of good UDFAs in Maximus Pulley and Tucker Large. You can find safeties late. Reed Blankenship was a UDFA. Epps was a sixth round pick. Andre Sam, who the team likes, was another UDFA.

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The Eagles targeted players and went after them. We know this by the visits/meetings/interest tracking we all did. Lemon visited Philly. Stowers had zoom meetings. Bell visited Philly and they had people go see him in Miami. Payton is a guy they spent a lot of time on. I don’t think we have all the details, though. Morris had zoom meetings with the team. They sent DL coach Clint Hurtt to work out Uar Bernard. There were meeting with some of the UDFAs as well.

Teams get real specific on who they want. Obviously the other 31 teams didn’t likek Cole Payton or Micah Morris as much. The Eagles wanted them and got them. Now we have to wait and see if they wanted the right guys. I do like the process, no matter the outcome. Find your guys.

The fact the Eagles were able to get players they specifically wanted tells you that Howie and his staff have a good idea of what other teams are going to do. That’s critical for a GM. The Steelers lost out on Makai Lemon because they waited for him. Howie knew he wasn’t going to last much longer so he went and got him. He was willing to give up the two picks because he felt the Eagles would still be able to get some of their guys later in the draft. Worked out well in the short term. We’ll see about the long term.

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A non-Eagles item here. We here a lot about value. We base our values on rankings by draft experts. Where did Daniel Jeremiah or Brugler or Duffy have the guy rated? NFL teams have their own rankings, obviously, and they can be very different. De’Zhaun Stribling was seen as a mid-round prospect 6 weeks ago. We started to hear buzz on him. Suddenly he was an early third and might even sneak into the second round. He ended up going 33rd overall. Stribling went on a bunch of visits and apparently was great in the meetings. He even had to turn down three teams because he ran out of time. If you hear there is a buzz on a guy and there is some evidence to back it up, that is probably legit buzz.

I had Caleb Douglas rated as a sixth round player. He went 75th overall. The Eagles brought him in for a visit, as did multiple other teams. When guys are doing a lot of visits, that tells you there value is probably going to be higher than what we on the outside think. Pay attention to that stuff.

If you hear an insider talk about a guy having buzz, but there is no evidence to support it, that is likely an agent trying to boost his client.

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Markel Bell could be interesting if they can activate him on game day. If the Eagles are in short yardage, they could put Bell in as an extra OL next to Jordan Mailata. You would then have more than 1,000 pounds on the left side of the OL (Dickerson is also big). That trio could get some serious movement. That would be seriously fun to watch. I don’t know that they will be able to have him active on a regular basis. Just a fun thought.

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Is Cole the new Jalen? Payton and Wisniewski. Hurts and Carter.

I got confused when Howie said Cole the second time. I thought senility was setting in and he was calling guys they had already drafted. Then I realized there were two of them. I guess I’m the one who is senile.

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The offseason isn’t over. We have seen teams cutting some guys today. After the draft GMs go over there roster and make changes. If the Eagles decide they want a veteran safety, they can still get one via trade or seeing if a player gets cut over the next month.

The Eagles could look to add a veteran guard. They seem to like Drew Kendall, last year’s rookie. They have Willie Lampkin. Now you add Morris and UDFA Jaedan Roberts. That is an interesting group of young OL. We’ll see if they want a vet to throw into the mix. Kendall focused on center last year. He could play some guard this summer. Lampkin played guard and center for the Rams last summer. He was a guard in college. There is some flexibility here.

One spot I would like to see them address is DT. They only have 7 players on the roster. Last year they had 9 for Training Camp. They don’t need to go sign a proven vet or a star. They just need depth and competition.

They could always bring back Brandon Graham and have him focus on the inside. He wants to come back. The Eagles are interested in having him. I think the fit has to be right and BG will want some money. He isn’t playing for peanuts. Howie will have to decide if they want to pay and just how BG would fit into the rotation. I think the team likes their top edge rotation with Greenard, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie. Fangio doesn’t like to play a bunch of guys so he’ll likely want to stick with that rotation.

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2026 UDFAs

Posted April 26th, 2026 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles have a very good roster. I thought they had a good draft. With that in mind, I didn’t expect much from the UDFA class. Agents want their guys to go places where they have a shot to stick. The Eagles surprised me with a class that has some good pieces.

Here is a quick overview.

You wanted a TE who could block. The Eagles got you one.

They signed 3 safeties. One could move to corner, but they wanted to get guys to improve the depth for Training Camp. They got athletes who can make plays.

They added another big OL.

They got a LB who could make the practice squad.

And yes…they did sign a long snapper.

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TE Dae’Quan Wright – 6-4, 246 – Productive throughout career. Caught 113 passes. As a senior he started all 15 games (39-635-16.3, 5 TDs). Good effort blocker, both in-line and on the move. Has quiet hands. Catches the ball smoothly. Good RAC ability. Good downfield receiver. Shows a good feel for getting open. Didn’t do athletic testing at Combine or his Pro Day. Looks athletic on tape, but would be good to have numbers to compare to others. Hurt his shoulder in the season opener and played through the injury all year. That shows toughness, especially for a guy who will block. Big question for me is route-running. Ole Miss used him in space quite a bit and also got him open via play design. If Wright can prove he can consistently get open against good man coverage, he absolutely has an NFL future. I had him rated as a fourth rounder. Others had him a bit lower, but surprising he went undrafted unless there is a lingering medical issue.

LB Deontae Lawson – 6-3, 226 – Alabama – 3-year starter. Team captain. Finished career with 283 tackles, 19 TFLs, 6.5 sacks. Bit of a sloppy tackler. Tends to go low on his targets, which will be an issue at the next level. Prefers to slip blocks rather than take them on. Will take on blocks at times, but tends to use his shoulder. Will need to fix that at the next level and learn to use his hands to strike. Solid athlete with good quickness and agility. Has a lean build. Would likely need to bulk up for the NFL. Quick feet. Diagnoses well and then attacks the ball. Has the athleticism to be solid in coverage. The biggest issue for him is tackling. He grabs, reaches and lunges. Needs to keep his feet and attack the midsection of his target instead of consistently going low. Will be a fatal flaw if not fixed. A good LB coach should be able to get this turned around.

OL Jaeden Roberts – 6-5, 333 – Alabama – 3-year starter at RG. Injuries limited him in 2025. Big, physical blocker. If he’s able to latch on, the defender is going where Roberts wants him to. Powerful. Has some real pop when he hits guys. Heavy hands. Serious hand punch. Stuns guys. Able to engage and move DL. Can be sloppy with his hands. Knee bender. Plays with good pad level. Looks for work. Good on the move. Has good feet. Strong finisher. Put his share of guys on the ground. Big man who plays big. Has 33 3/8 inch arms and 10 inch hands. I’m shocked he didn’t get drafted in a weak OG class. Has real potential. There was reportedly a lot of competition for him, but the Eagles were able to get him signed. This is a player they really wanted.

S Maximus Pulley – 5-11, 200 – Wofford – 34 career starts. Recorded 189 career tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss and 7 interceptions. Does a great job of jumping routes. Gets a really good break on the ball. Plays WR screens well. Good hands. Solid tackler. Has quick feet. Comes down quickly in run support. Didn’t play deep a lot, but showed good range when he did. Spent most of the time closer to the LOS where he could be a playmaker vs run and pass. Really good athlete and you see that on tape. Ran 4.45 at his Pro Day. Had a VJ of 41.5 inches and a SS time of 4.25. That’s an NFL athlete. The Eagles did a lot of work on him before the draft so this is another guy they had targeted.

LS Rocco Underwood – 6-3, 240 – Florida – Was Dane Brugler’s #5 LS. He won the Patrick Mannelly Award, awarded to the best long snapper in the country in 2024. Was a semifinalist in 2025. Did a good job of getting downfield after the snap and getting in on the tackle. Recovered one fumble. Was Florida’s LS for four seasons so he’s got plenty of experience.

S Kapena Gushiken – 5-10 – 189 – Ole Miss – Had a great Pro Day. Ran 4.35 , 41″ vertical, 11′ broad,  6.77 3-cone and 4.11 shuttle. 3-year starter. The first two were at WSU. Ended WSU career with 88 total tackles (52 solo), 5.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Trf to Ole Miss and had 55 tackles, 1 INT and 5 PDs as a senior. Good when he’s in the slot. Has good man cover skills. Okay tackler. Good effort, but doesn’t get guys down quickly and cleanly. Shows good awareness. Fluid hips. I wonder if the Eagles would consider him at corner with that kind of athleticism and speed. Had an amazing pick-six back in 2023.

S Tucker Large – 5-10 , 181 – Washington State – Started for 3 years, the first two were at South Dakota State. Became a team captain in his only year at WSU. Had 71 tackles with 3 TFLs and 8 PDs as a senior. Had 7 INTs at SDSU, but none at WSU. We don’t have any testing numbers for him. Has punt return experience. Smart, instinctive player. Made big plays on defense and STs. Can line up in the slot and play man coverage. Also comfortable playing deep and reading the QB. Has good ball skills. Undersized and had some injury issues at WSU. You wonder if he can handle the NFL.

LB Joshua Weru – 6-4, 244 – IPP – Another guy with great athleticism. Just has to learn how to play football. Eagles will have a roster exemption for him. Learning to play LB will be tough. Have to defend the run and pass. Lots to learn. The best LBs are smart and instinctive. Weru is a blank slate. Will be interesting to see if they have him focus on the edge or off-ball LB.

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There will be several guys invited to rookie minicamp. Those guys are real long shots. I haven’t seen a full list yet so I might address that down the road.

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